Fabric-measuring machine



April 22 1924.

w. E. HOSCH FABRIC MEASURING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Shebt 1 Filed June I ave/zfor: WGZZ rEHOSCI April 22, 1924. 1,490,974

w. E. HoscH FABRIC MEASURING MACHI NE Filed June 21,1920 2 Sheets-Sheet2 m 20 Im/enfon WferEHax/z, 16', 53

Deceased.

1 I a w Patented Apr. 22, 1924.

NITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

wAIi'IERE. Boson, DECEASED, LATE or ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI; BY ANNIE MAEHOSCH, I nnm ms'raarmx, orrs'r. Lo Is, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THEMEASUREGBAPH COMPANY, or T. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION or MISSOURI.

' FABRIC-MEASUBIN G MACHINE.

A umion'med June 21, 1920. serial No. 390,594.

To whom may concern: 1 Be itknown .that"VALTER E. HosoH deceased, who-inhis lifetime was a citizen of the United States,-residing in the'cityofSt;

Louis and State of Missouri, did invent new and: useful Improvements inFabric- Measuring Machines, of which the following is a specification.-I

The invention relates to fabric measuring or'cost computing machines,such as used in measuring the length of piece goods sold at retail.These machines usually include in their construct-ion a measuring rollerwith which oo-operates a. presser roller that presses the fabric againstthe. measuring roller. As the fabric is pulled past the measuring rollerit rotatesit and advances the indicating mechanism to indicate thelength or cost of the piece measured. [After taking a measurement theindicating mechanism isreturned to zero. The general object ofthe-invention is to produce a simple machine of this'kind'having meansfor disconnecting the drive from the measuring roller, tothe indicatingmechanism and also toprovide a totalizer for indicating the total ,1length of pieces measured, the totalizer being automaticallydisconnected from the drivecon'nection whenthe indicating mechanismisbeing returned to zero. Oneof the ob ects has been to providelllllPl'OVGd means fol-stopping the indicatingmechanism at" zeroandat-the limit orjmaximum measuring-movement of the machine. 9 Furtherobj ects have been to provide automatic means for raising the presserroller and for effooting the disconnection of the drive to theindicating mechanism when the marking means is operated which marks theoint \v'l'iere; the measured piece is to cut ofi i Further objects ofthe invention will appearhereinafter. J v The invention consists inthenovel features, and in the general combination of parts to beparticularly described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce asim'pleand efiici'ent fabric measuring ma chine.) A preferred embodimentof the invention will bejparticularly described in the following.specification, while the qbroad scopeo'f'theinvention will be' pointedout in the appended claims.

Figure 5 is a cross section taken on the r line 55 of Figure 4, butomitting some parts;

Figure 6 is a side elevation as viewed from the left of Fig. 3particularly illustrating the driving train or drive connection throughwhich the indicating mechanism and the totalizer are actuated from themeasuring roller;

- Figure 7 is a vertical section taken on the line 7- 7 v of F igure 6,further illustrating details of the driving connection or gear train;this view shows the driving connection in its open condition; and

Figure 8 is an elevation showing the gearing illustrated in Figure 7,but showing the gears in mesh as when the driving connection is closed.7

Referring more particularly to the parts,

1 represents a casing, one end of which is provided with an indicatingdial2 carrying large numbers indicating yards up to 12 and small.numbers indicating inches up to 36. The indicating mechanism includes aslow moving pointer or hand 3 which indicates yards and a fast movingpointer which indicates inches. I I

In the lower portion of the casing a measuring roller 5 is mounted torotate. on .a. horizontal axis,being supported at its inner end on avertical frame plate 6 through which the shaft 7 of the measuring rollerextends. i I

(lo-operating with this measuring roller there is provided a presserroller 8 (see Fig. 5) which is carried on a movable I presser rollerframe 9 which is of bifurcated frame qvhich extends longitudinally withslot 13 the axis of the presser roller. A spring 13 is provided whichpresses down upon the bar 12 of the presser roller frame to force thepresser roller toward the measuring roller.

The machine is provided with marking means which may consist of a knifeor blade 14 pivoted at 15 and operated by a handactuated knife lever orhand lever 16, the knife 14 co-operating with a. fixed knife or blade17. (See Fig. 2). This lever 16 has means for operating it from theexterior of the casing. A connection is provided between this knifelever 16 and the presser roller frame, operating to raise the presserroller frame when the knife lever 16 is actuated or lowered. For thispurpose, the inner side of the lever 16 is provided with a slot 18(Figs. 4 and 5) which lies opposite a vertical slot 19 formed in aforward frame plate 20 of the machine. The hand lever has thumb-plate 16for operating it. On the rear face of the frame plate 20 a lever 21pivoted at 22 (see Fig. 4) and the outer end of this lever carries a.pin 23 which projects through the slot 19 and into the of the lever 16(see Fig. 4) lever 21 has a slot Ll receiving a projecting part or pin 9on bar 12 of the presserfiroller frame 9. When the lever 21 is actuatedby the knife lever 16 in being lowered, evidently the presser rollerframe 9 will be raised. A spring 24 (Figs. 2 and 4) is provided whichengages pin 23, and this spring operates to normally hold the lever 16elevated and the presser roller frame 9 depressed.

A driving connection is provided from the measuring roller 5 to theindicating mechanism, (including the hands 3 and 4), and provision ismade for opening this driving connection automatically when the lever 16is actuated or depressed. For this purpose the shaft 7 of the measuringroller carries a pinion 25 (Figs. 7 and 8); this pinion operates todrive a relatively fixed gear wheel 26 through the medium of arelatively movable gear wheel 27 which operates as an idler between thegears 25 and 26. Th e gear wheels 26 and 27 constitute a clutch which isheld closed when the measuring operation is taking place. In order toenable the relatively movable gear 27 to be separated from the gear 26,the same is mounted upon a rocking plate 28 (see Figs. 7 and 8), one endof which is connected by a link 29 (see Fig. 7 with the inner end of theaforesaid bar 12 which extends through a slot 30 in the frame plate 6.In order to permit the necessary freedom of movement of the bar 12 inraising the presser roller frame. a lost motion connection is providedbetween the link 29 and the rockinc plate. which may simply be in theform of a slot 31 (Fig. 8) through which a pin or screw 32 passes. Withthis construction it is evident that when the link 29 is pulledupwardly, as it will be when the knife lever 16 is depressed, the gears26 and 27 will be separated; this opens the driving connection from themeasuring roller. A coil-spring 28 pulls the rocking-plate 28 in a.direction to close this driving connection. When this connection is openthe indicating mechanism is returned to zero by suitable means whichwill now be described.

The large gear wheel 26 (see Fig. 3) carries a small bevel pinion 33which meshes with a large bevel gear 34 rigid on the underside of apinion 35 which meshes with a. large gear wheel 36 carrying a. pinion 37meshing with a large gear wheel 38 (see Fig. 4) which carries the slowmoving hand or pointer 3. The pinion 35 drives the fast moving pointer4. It should be understood that the gearing just described merelyoperates as back gearing or reducing gearing to drive the hand 3 toindicate yards, while the hand 4 is indicating inches. In order toreturn the indicating mechanism to zero a coil spring 39 is provided(see Fig. 4) its outer end being secured to the upper end of a fixedbracket 40 (see Figs. 3 and 4), and the inner end of which is attachedto a shaft 41 which carries the gear 36 and the pinion 3?. When theclutch 26, 27 is opened, evidently this spring will operate to rotatethe indicating mechanism and return the same to zero.

Special means is provided for stopping the indicating mechanism with thehands 3 and 4 at the zero position and this same means is constructed insuch a way that it will also operate to stop the hands in this sameposition at the limit or maximum measuring movement of the hands, that.is to say, twelve yards. For this purpose a. stop is provided on thewheel 38 co-operating with a relatively fixed stop, and one of thesestops is constructed so that it may have a limited movement. In order toaccomplish this, the gear wheel 38 is provided with a pin or stop 42(Fig. 4), and projecting into the path of this stop there is provided a.stop in the form of a finger 43 projecting from a small plate 44 pivotedat 45; this plate may have aslight lateral movement by reason of a slot46 through which a screw or pin 47 passes; gear wheel 38 moves clockwisewhen cloth is being measured, and contra-clockwise when spring 39 isrestoring it to zero; this view shows the gear wheel 38 in its zeroposition, that is to say, in the position which it has when the twohands 3 and 4 are at zero. When the maximum measurement has been madethe stop pin 42 will have made one complete revolution and come againstthe opposite side of the finger or stop 43. Before the finger 43 arreststhe wheel 38 however, it will have been moved in a downward direction asabove the upper edge of the detent pawl 48;

the spring 50'of the detent pawl thenpushes thepawl in under the dog 49and holds the link'in thisposition. Hand operated means ispriovidedfor'releasing the pawl at will; For-this purpose there is provided areleasing'lever 51 (see'Fig. 2) which is preferably mounted near theknife lever 16-and the end of this lever lies adjacent to an inclinededge 52 formed at the lower end of the pawl 48 (see Fig. 7). The thumbplate 53, of this lever is normally held elevated by a small spring54'which engages the upper edgeof theend of the'lever which is adjacentto the pawl48. .wf, I

A totalizer 55 is provided for; indicating the total lengthofpiecesmeasured on the machine and the rocking. plate 28 operates to disconnectthe drive to this totalizer so that the totalizer does not interfere inany way with returning the indicating mechanism'to zero. The drive tothe totalizer is effected by means of a small; inion 56 (Figs. 7 and 8)which'is rigid wit the gear wheel 27, that is to sayit is also carriedby the clutch late or rocking plate 28; it is therefore re ativelymovable with respect to a relatively fixed gear 1 57 with 'which itmeshes when the clutch 26,- 27 is closed.

Thisgear wheel 57 carriesa rigid -pini0n-58 which is in mesh'with agear'wheel 59'which' drives an eccentric 60 attached tojthe shaft 61 ofthis gear 59. This eccentric '60 is connected by a link 62 (Fig. 3)

with'an arm 63 which actuates the dials of the totalizer.

It is understood,of course, that the casing is cut awayopposite thelevers16 and 51 to permit theiroperation from the exterior.

The mode of operation ofthe entire ma chine will now be brieflydescribed;

The indicating mechanism "being in the 7 zero position and thepresser-roller 8 in the raised position see Fig. 5), the operatorintroduces the forward edge of the fabric into the space between themeasuring roller 5'and-t-he presser roller 8 and adjusts the fabric sothatits forwardedge is substan- "tiallv'in' alignmentw'ith the blades 14and 17. The lever 51 is then actuated, operating through the medium ofthe inclined edge 52 (Fig. 7) to release the pawl 48 which'permits thespring 24 to to force the link '29 downwardly and likewise force'thepresser from the exterior of the roller frame 9 downwardly until theroller 8 comes against the fabric on the measuring roller. The operatorthen pulls the fabric through the machine. This operates to drive thegear train 25, 27, 26 which drives the bevel gears 33 and 34 (Fig 3).Through the'backi gearing 35, 36,37 and 38, these gears operate to drivethe hands 3 and 4. When the required amount of fabric has been measured,the operator presses down on the knife lever 16 so as to mark or cut theedge of the fabric which lies between the knives. 14 and 17.v Actuatingthe lever 16 rocksthe rocking plate 28 and opens the clutch 26, 27throughwhich the indicating mechanism is driven and also opens theclutch 56, .57 (Fig. 7) through which the totalizer is driven. As soonas these clutches are open the spring 39 (Fig. 4) operates to return theindicating mechanism tozero bymoving gear wheel 38 contrasclockwise.

-As the indicating mechanism arrives at zero, the pin 42 comes againstthe side of the stop 43, and this stops the hands in the zero position.In the measuring movement, if the machine has measured its maximum, thatis 12 yards, the pin 42 Will strike against the upper edge of the finger43, as viewed in Figure 4, and gives the finger a slight movement in thesame direction with the pin, and the finger will eventually stop the pin'42 in in which it is to say,the stops 42 and 43 co-operate to stop thehands in. the zero the 12'yard position. v I

. It is understood that the embodiment of the'invention described hereinis only one of the many embodiments the invention may substantially thesame position take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice ofmy invention nor in my claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What claim and desiretosecure by Letters Patent is i '1. In a machine ofthe kind described, the combination of a casing, a measuring roller,indicating mechanism, a clutch for actuatin thexsame fromathe roller, ahand actuated lever having means for easing, a blade carried thereby formarking the fabric, for markingthe point where the measured fab ric isto be. out off, a presser roller mounted to move toward or from themeasuring roller, means actuated by the marking means for opening theclutch and for raising the presser roller away from the measuringroller, and means for returning the indicating mechanism to zero whenthe clutch is open.

. 2; In a machine'for measuring fabrics,

position and also in operating the same indicated in Figure 4; that isindicating the total lengths of the pieces measured, a drivingconnection from the measuring roller for driving the totalizer and theindicating mechanism, a hand-actuated lever with marking means formarlin? the point where the fabric is to be cut 0 means actuated therebyfor opening said driving connection to disconnect the indicatingmechanism from the measuring roller and from the totalizer, and meansfor returning the indicating mechanism to zero when the drivingconnection is open.

3. In a machine for measuring fabrics, the combination of a. measuringroller, a presser roller co-opera-ting therewith, a presser roller framecarrying the presser roller and mounted to move toward or from themeasuring roller, indicating mechanism for indicating the length of apiece of fabric measured, a totalizer for indicating the total lengthsof the pieces measured, a driving connection from the measuring rollerfor driving the totalizer and the indicating mechanism, a hand actuatedknife lever for marking the edge of the fabric where it is to be cutoff, means actuated thereby for raising the presser roller frame, alatch pawl for latching the presser roller frame raised to hold thepresser roller away from the measuring roller, meansalso actuated by theknife lever for opening the driving connection to disconnect theindicating mechanism from the measuring roller and from the totalizer,and means for returning the indicating mechanism to zero when thedriving connection is open.

4. A machine constructed as described in claim 3 in combination with ahand-operated lever adjacent the knife lever for releasing the latchingmeans, and a spring acting upon the presser roller frame to rock thesame and force the presser roller against the measuring roller.

5. In a machine for measuring fabrics, the

' combination of a measuring roller, a presser roller co-operatingtherewith, a presser roller frame carrying the presser roller andmounted to move toward or from the measuring roller, indicatingmechanism for indicating the length of a piece of fabric measured, adriving connection including a relatively fixed gear and a relativelymovable gear, a rocking plate carrying the relatively movable gear formoving the same into or out of mesh with the relatively fixed gear, saidrocking plate mounted to rock on the axis of the shaft of the measuringroller, a pinion rigid with the measuring rollerand meshing with therelatively movable gear for driving the same, a hand-actuated knifelever having means for operating the sam from the-exterior'of the casingfor marking the edge of-the fabric where it is to be cut off, meansactuated thereby for raising the presser roller frame, means alsoactuated thereby for the rocking plate to separate the relativelymovable gear from the relatively fixed gear, and thereby disconnect thedriving connection from the measuring roller and the indicatingmechanism, and means for returning the indicating mechanism to zero.

6. In a machine for measuring fabrics, the

combination of a measuring roller, a presser roller co-operatingtherewith, a presser roller frame carrying the presser roller andmounted to move toward or from the measuring roller, indicatingmechanism for indicating the length of a piece of fabric measured, adriving connection including a relatively fixed gear and a relativelymovable gear, a rocking plate carrying the relatively movable gear formoving the same into or out of mesh with the relatively fixed gear, saidrocking plate mounted to rock on the axis of the shaft of the measuringroller, a pinion rigid with the measuring roller and meshing with therelatively movable gear for driving the same, a knife lever for markingthe edge of the fabric where it is to'be cut off, means actuated therebyfor raising the presser roller frame, means also actuated thereby forrocking the rocking plate to separate the relatively movable gear fromthe relatively fixed gear, and thereby disconnect the driving connectionfrom the measuring roller to the indicating mechanism, means forreturning the indicating mechanism to zero, said indicating mechanismincluding a wheel adapted to make one revolution in the greatest pomiblemeasuring movement of the machine, a stop carried by said wheel and arelatively fixed stop co-operating therewith to stop the wheel at thelimit of the measuring movement and at the zero position, one of saidstops being mounted to permit a slight lateral movement operating tostop the wheel in substantially the same position at zero and at thelimit of the measuring movement.

7. In a machine for measuring fabrics, the. combination of a measuringroller, a presser roller co-operating therewith, a presser roller framecarrying the presser roller and mounted to move toward or from themeasuring roller, indicating mechanism for indicating the length'of apiece of fabric measured,-a totalizer for indicating the total lengthsof the pieces measured, a driving connection from the measuring rollerfor driving the totalizer and the indicating mechanism including arelatively fixed gear for driving the indicating mechanism andarelatively fixed gear for driving the totalizer, a rocking plate andrelatively movable gears carried by the rocking plate for meshing withthe first named gears respectively, means for driving the relativelymovable gears from the measuring roller, a knife lever, means actuatedthereby for raising the presser roller frame to move the presser rolleraway from the measuring roller, and means actuated thereby for movingthe rockin plate to disconnect the movable gears rom the other gears,and means for returning the indicating mechanism to zero when themovable gears are separated from their corresponding relatively fixedears. 8. In a machine of the kind describe the combination of ameasuring roller, indicating mechanism actuated thereby, marking meansfor marking the fabric to indicate the point where it is to be cut off,and means for effecting the return of the indicating mechanism to zero,controlled by the actuation of the marking means. 9. In a machine of thekind described, the combination of a measuring roller, indicatingmechanism, drivinglmechanism includin; a clutch through 'which themeasuring roller actuates the indicating mechanism, marking means formarking the fabric to indicate the point where it is to be cut off,means actuated thereby for opening the clutch, and means for returningthe indicating mechanism to zero when the clutch is 0 en.

10. In a machine of the kind described, the combination of a measuringroller, indicating mechanism, driving mechanism including a clutchthrough which the measuring roller actuates the indicating mechanism,marking means including a lever for marking the fabric to indicate thepoint where it is to be cut of, means actuated by said lever for openingthe clutch, and means for returning the indicating mechanism to zerowhen the clutch is open.

11. In a machine of the'kind described, the combination of a casing, ameasuring roller, indicating mechanism, a hand actuated lever havingmeans for marking the point where the measured fabric is to be out off,a clutch for actuating the indicating mechanism from the measuring"roller, a presser roller frame mounted to movetoward or from themeasuring roller, a presser roller carried thereby, means actuated bythe hand actuated lever for opening the clutch and for moving thepresser roller frame to hold the presser roller away from the measuringroller, and means for returningthe indicating mechanism to zero when theclutch is open.

12. In a machine of the kind described, the combination of a measuringroller, a

presser roller movable toward and from the measuring roller andco-operating therewith, latching means for holding the presser roller ina raised position removed from the measuring roller, indicatingmechanism, driving mechanism including a clutch through which themeasuring roller actuates the indicating mechanism, marking means formarking the fabric to indicate the point where it is to be cut off,means for opening the clutch actuated by the marking means, means forreturning the indicating mechanism to zero when the clutch is open,

and means actuated by the marking means for raising the presser rollerto enable the latching means to hold the same away from the measuringroller.

' ANNIE MAE HOSCH, Administratria: for W abter E. Hosch, de-

ceased.

